


Before Dark

by badgerandk



Series: Lysatrian Tales [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Don't copy to another site, Implied/Referenced Character Death, attempt at a scary story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-26 13:04:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19006357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badgerandk/pseuds/badgerandk
Summary: Thrawn talks Eli into sharing another story that his grandmother would tell him about why you don't stay out past dark.





	Before Dark

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Iskelan (Zeratul)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeratul/gifts).



“Tell me a story!”  The boy demanded.

With a laugh, the elderly woman finished tucking him into bed, “Very well what kind?”

“The scary kind!” Came the quick reply.

* * *

 

There once lived a boy who loved to explore the woods.  He was told to not stay out past dark but that he could explore all he wished during the day.  The boy would run to and fro, examining all of Lysatra but always careful to return home before dark.

Now in those days there lived an odd people called Chiss with skin as blue as deep ocean and eyes as red as soft fire.  They were slow moving but were happy to trade with others. The boy would frequently see them and bring them berries or tree nuts in exchange for baked goods.  His parents had warned him to be wary and offer no harm to the strange neighbors and for a time, the boy remembered. 

Then came day where one late afternoon he brought a bucket of wild jogan fruit to trade and was turned away.  Undeterred, the boy took them to the next Chiss and was also rebuffed. Now the fruit was soft and old but the hungry boy did not see that,  he went from Chiss to Chiss, turned away every time. Angry, the boy didn’t notice that the sun was setting. 

Finally, the boy had asked every Chiss and there were no others to trade with and in frustration, the boy threw a jogan fruit at a Chiss.  As the jogan fruit hit and splattered, every Chiss turned to look at him. He froze remembering his parents warning too late. “No matter!” The boy thought, “I can surely outrun them!” And he turned to start running home as Chiss started to converge on his spot.  

At first, he was able to outrun them.  But as the sun set and the shadows swallowed the world, the Chiss moved faster, and faster.  Soon the boy was panting, running with all of his strength but barely keeping ahead of the Chiss. 

Heart in his throat the boy ran faster than he had ever run before.  There! He could see his front porch and his mother standing light by the warmth from the fire.  He sobbed in relief, too soon as long fingers grasped his shoulders pulling him back. The last thing he heard was his mother's scream as red eyes seared him and sharp teeth rendered flesh.  

* * *

 

**Years Later:**

 

Eli sat stoically staring at the far wall as Thrawn opened his mouth and then closed it, bewildered by the tale he had just heard.  

Finally Thrawn shook his head and left, muttering about how the Chiss weren’t some  _ Ch'itsit'ebo htisah carcim  _ and that was  _ not  _ how it worked.  Eli wasn’t sure what he meant but he decided he didn’t want clarification.         

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: Ch'itsit'ebo htisah carcim = Slow ice creature


End file.
